It is 5:20 PM, and my last students for the day JUST left the studio.


Our studio from my desk...becoming more festive every day.
I am prone to become defensive when I hear people saying things to me like "Oh, you teach HIGH SCHOOL students! How can you stand them and their attitudes, aren't they difficult to deal with?" My eyebrows always get tied up in knots and I'm instantly perplexed by this. That's like saying, "Oh wow, you are an adult? How can you stand it? I know so many annoying adults... it must be a pain."

Categorizing all of any age group based on your perceptions of the worst of them is never a wise idea. In fact, I battle categorizations of all kinds. Stereotyping teen behavior is perhaps one of my least favorite categorizations made by adults who have minimal contact with the age group. I have some students who, admittedly, have a way to go before they are fully "grown up." I also have some others who are extremely mature and responsible, not to mention, kind-hearted and caring teens...and this is the time of the year that I really feel blessed more than usual to be able to be with them every day.

I get to see them struggling with the decisions about how they will ever afford to buy that special something for mom or dad. I get to see them looking forward to being able to leave town to visit special grandparents or siblings that are grown and married, or maybe a parent that they don't live with for most of the year. I see them making art that they plan to use as their special gifts to their closest friends and family. I get to see how excited they are for our class gift exchange ($10 or less or something that you make yourself...) Our annual ugly sweater day. They take charge of decorating the studio for the holidays. In fact, the last of the "elves" just departed to go out and buy a few more lights, and it is 5:20 PM, almost dark. They do this not to get extra credit or because they have to. They do it because they spend half their day here every day, in many cases longer than they are anywhere else during their day, including home. They want it to be their space, and they work hard to see to it that they are happy here. I am lucky to teach these students every day, and I can't imagine why anyone would question these particular teens.

They are a pretty cool bunch of people. Happy holidays.

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